This drill, run by John Sample at Texas Advantage Volleyball Club in Dallas, is a great way to train teams to adjust to out-of-system balls. Here’s how it works: Four players on each side. The coach initiates the ball. One person is digging in the back row, another player is setting in the back row.…

There’s not necessarily a right or wrong answer to the question of whether kids who aren’t tall enough to get their hands over the net should remain in blocking position or drop off to play defense. But Adam Johnson, a former U.S. national team indoor player and a top-level beach pro who now runs the…

A great way to simulate what it’s like to dig random balls off blockers’ hands on scramble plays is by using a fit ball. As you’ll see in this drill shared by Mark Barnard, head coach of the Australian women’s national team and associate head coach at Oregon State, spikes that deflect off a fit…

Pointing out that bad stuff often happens when the hitter has to attack a ball that’s too close to the net, Mike Schall explains the keys to a strong middle blocker approach. He emphasizes an explosive closing step and the importance of jumping vertically rather than horizontally. He also discusses where the setter should locate…

This drill, run by John Sample at Texas Advantage Volleyball Club in Dallas, is a great way to train teams to adjust to out-of-system balls. Here’s how it works: Four players on each side. The coach initiates the ball. One person is digging in the back row, another player is setting in the back row.…

This is a great drill – fun and very competitive. And because it involves only three players, everybody gets lot of touches. It works this way: Two players receive serve on one side, one player serves on the other side. An ace earns the server a point. If the receiving team gets the ball back…

With just 2 people covering the court, beach volleyball has a lot of scramble plays that require players to control the ball while running or diving. When setting a ball that’s falling quickly to the sand, it’s important to get your body as low as possible. This gives you more time to make a good…

This drill, run by John Sample at Texas Advantage Volleyball Club in Dallas, is a great way to train teams to adjust to out-of-system balls. Here’s how it works: Four players on each side. The coach initiates the ball. One person is digging in the back row, another player is setting in the back row.…

A lot of very successful coaches – among them, U.S. women’s national team coach Karch Kiraly – will tell you that the more game-like you can make practices, the more improvement your players will make.That’s the idea behind over-the-net pepper, which is explained here by Emily Hiza, assistant coach at Oregon State. As you’ll see…

A lot of very successful coaches – among them, U.S. women’s national team coach Karch Kiraly – will tell you that the more game-like you can make practices, the more improvement your players will make.That’s the idea behind over-the-net pepper, which is explained here by Emily Hiza, assistant coach at Oregon State. As you’ll see…

Jim Stone is one of the great thinkers in the sport of volleyball, so it’s not surprising that he has had great success in the coaching arena. For 26 years, he was head coach of the Ohio State women’s team, compiling an impressive 531-294 record and guiding the Buckeyes to 15 NCAA tournament appearances and…

Stanford coach John Dunning says there’s no formula for success. Every team is unique, and each should approach practice differently. Instead of providing a template, he presents an intentional planning approach that will prove helpful for coaches at every level. What a coach does in the gym often follows the same track time after time.…

Penn State coach Russ Rose says that coaches are responsible for training their team to compete, and players are responsible for being mentally tough. Coaches must develop their own definition of competitive, then recruit and train players accordingly. Because every coach is different, the methods used to foster competitive environments differ from gym to gym.…

A top priority for coaches as they begin training novice players should be to help them get to know each other and bond as a team. As Oregon State assistant coach Emily Hiza explains here, when kids like each other and feel comfortable, it creates a good learning environment because they aren’t afraid of making…

A great way to simulate what it’s like to dig random balls off blockers’ hands on scramble plays is by using a fit ball. As you’ll see in this drill shared by Mark Barnard, head coach of the Australian women’s national team and associate head coach at Oregon State, spikes that deflect off a fit…

Defending 900 square feet of volleyball court from an opponent’s attack requires efficiency and coordination. Here, Jim Stone, former coach at Ohio State, provides a tutorial on 2 levels of defense: Base defense to counter the opponent’s first attack options if the pass is good and everything goes right. Adjusted defense to counter the opponent’s…

Defending 900 square feet of volleyball court from an opponent’s attack requires efficiency and coordination. Here, Jim Stone, former coach at Ohio State, provides a tutorial on 2 levels of defense: Base defense to counter the opponent’s first attack options if the pass is good and everything goes right. Adjusted defense to counter the opponent’s…

Pointing out that bad stuff often happens when the hitter has to attack a ball that’s too close to the net, Mike Schall explains the keys to a strong middle blocker approach. He emphasizes an explosive closing step and the importance of jumping vertically rather than horizontally. He also discusses where the setter should locate…

If your roster is stocked with a lot of middle blockers, you might want to consider using the triangle middle formation, which puts 3 middles on the court instead of the standard 2. As Oregon State assistant coach Emily Hiza explains here, this formation has one MB – the M1 or the “ultimate middle” –…

If your roster is stocked with a lot of middle blockers, you might want to consider using the triangle middle formation, which puts 3 middles on the court instead of the standard 2. As Oregon State assistant coach Emily Hiza explains here, this formation has one MB – the M1 or the “ultimate middle” –…

With just 2 people covering the court, beach volleyball has a lot of scramble plays that require players to control the ball while running or diving. When setting a ball that’s falling quickly to the sand, it’s important to get your body as low as possible. This gives you more time to make a good…